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Dorothy Anne PEARCE
1926 -

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• Birth	14 Dec 1926	Sydney. NSW
  Gender	Female
  Person ID	I229	Jean Mailer Forsyth
  Last Modified	27 Apr 2014

  
  

  Father	Benjamin Martin Athol PEARCE,   b. 13AUG1891, Onehunga. NZ ,   d. 26MAY1960, Sydney. NSW
  Mother	Jean Mailer FORSYTH,   b. 19FEB1889, 95 Lower Bridge St, Stirling. Scotland ,   d. 29DEC1968, Parramatta, Sydney. NSW
  Married	02MAY1919	5 Phillips St, Paisley. Scotland
  Photos		Benjamin Pearce & family 1923 per Corinthic.jpg
  		Benjamin Jean & Helen Pearce to UK 1922.jpg
  		Benjamin & Jean Pearce 1930 Electoral Roll.jpg
  		Benjamin & Jean Pearce 1936 Electoral Roll.jpg
  		Pea1919bjmForsyth.jpg
  Family ID	F76	Group Sheet

  
  

• Photos		Dorothy Studio.jpg
  		Dorothy.jpg
  		Dot & Keith.jpg

  
  

• Notes

  Dorothy Ann Pearce was born in ? on 14Dec1927- the third daughter of 'Jack' and Jean Pearce. Cousin Molly Smith stated that her second name Ann was from her grandmother Mary Ann - always known as 'Annie'. The family had recently moved from Petone in Wellington to join Jack's mother and stepfather, Annie and Tom Newey. They had sold their home and plumbing business to come to Sydney where according to the Neweys 'life was full of wonderful opportunities'. The families were not to know that the Great Depression was just a couple of short years away. Her sister Helene remembers her daredevil antics on her bicycle as she flew down the hills around Fairlight and Brookvale. The family lived in a home adjoining the Brookvale School in Consul St, then moved to 4 Francis St, Fairlight. I do not know any details of Dorothy's schooling but it was tough times for all families during the 1930s. In the early hours of the morning of the 12Apr1943 when Dorothy was aged 16 years old she accompanied her sister Helene to Crown Street Women's Hospital, Paddington. It was only 4.30am when the two women got out of the taxi - Dorothy assisting her older, heavily pregnant, in-labour, sister towards the entrance of the hospital. Helene was whisked away by nursing staff leaving poor Dorothy all alone in a part of the city she did not know. I never did hear the story about how she got herself home. Helene delivered her own baby, unattended, on a mattress on the floor of that very busy wartime hospital - but that is another story. There is a photo of Dorothy in her VAD (Voluntary Aid ?) uniform of which she was a member during the war. Dorothy visited her sister Helene, husband Tom and baby Sandra at Tyringham, Northern NSW on a property shared with Tom's family. It was a good 2 mile walk from the farmhouse to the village. Helene noticed that Dorothy was asking 'do you need any bread?' or 'are you sure you have enough bread?'. It appears there was more interest in the baker of the bread than the bread itself. Before too long Dorothy and Keith Anschau are married on 28Dec1947 and they are living in the house attached to the bakehouse in the village. Helene loved having the company of her younger sister nearby. I think she had been a bit outnumbered by the McKeowns. Moving from the city to the bush with no facilities was difficult for both women but now they had each other. (On the other hand I believe Helene was none too popular with her parents for having 'encouraged' the liaison between Dodo and her baker.) In August 1948 both women gave birth to daughters within a week of each other in Dorrigo Hospital. Dodo's daughter, Margaret Dawn was born 13Aug and Helene's daughter Vicki was born 21Aug (it snowed in Dorrigo that day). In those days mothers were kept in hospital for 2-3 weeks. They did not get out of bed for the first week. Life rotating around the baking of bread was hard. The baker had be awake at 3am to start the dough and get the baking done early so that deliveries could be made. In a house with a young baby this would have been very difficult. The sisters visited each other often, pushing their babies in heavy woven cane prams with very small wheels over unmade roads - a real challenge! There are photos of Margaret and Vicki at the Bakery house with their Nani Pearce when they were about 18 months old - probably around Christmas 1950. In 1951 and 1953 two more daughters were born - Patricia Ann on 12May1951 and Helen Roslyn on 24Feb1953. Sadly Dodo suffered a late term miscarriage between the births of these daughters. Life in the village went through its seasonal rhythms. Mrs Connors and her daughters Betty and Nancy ran the Post Office at the top of the hill. They knew everyones business through eavesdropping on the phonecalls and tearing holes in the corners of all the parcels we ever received. (I always thought how careless PMG parcel deliverers were to always deliver our parcels with tears in the corners!) Geoff and Joy Davies ran the General Store and Petrol bowser. All the goods were bought on credit. The account was paid monthly or when the cheque came in - whichever came first or last - depending on your priorities. Mrs Howlett ran the Plonk Shop - the premises licenced to sell fermented liquors. Aubrey and Eileen Fahey and family of six children lived apart at 'Paloma' in the big house with the long driveway from the big white gateway. The big elm tree stood quietly at the edge of the village. I cannot recall the other family's names. There was a passing parade over the 1950s and early 60s. I remember card nights at the bakehouse. The four of us girls would be fed and put to bed early - supposedly to sleep! - but we had other ideas. After countless threats, bed jumping, 'Mum I'm thirsty' and more threats we would eventually go to sleep. How the adults managed to play cards with all the interruptions I do not know. I remember the excitement when the 'inside' bathroom and laundry was completed. Prior to that it was a long dash back from the old washroom out the back to the warmth of the open fire in the loungeroom or the wood stove in the kitchen. I can still taste Keith's meat pies. The trouble was he would deliver them to us at Boarding School on Friday but we could not eat them til Saturday. But we did not care. They were still great cold. That rich yellow melt in your mouth pastry but strong enough so the meat with the hint of pepper did not fall out. I also remember many trips in the back of the old Fargo to attend the travelling circus in Dorrigo. Mattresses would be put in the back and lots of bodies packed in under blankets for the 17 mile drive. I loved to look at the stars in the skies as we bounced around on the unmade road. The highlight of the circus was of course the acrobatics. We were all enthralled. Day trips to the Annual Show were also taken in the same transport mode. I remember Keith giving me a 10/- note one Show Day. The horses must have been kind to him that day. (Keith was also the local SP bookmaker and many Saturday mornings I remember the drone of the racecaller giving the scratching for that day and the tension as the day progressed if the horses were not running the way they should). Dodo and Helene sewed all the childrens clothes on peddle sewing machines. The three blond headed Anschau girls with their matching dresses always looked wonderful. The dresses were always frilled or adorned with matching ribbons or ricrac - so difficult to make on those machines. We all learned to sew as well - making new clothes for our dolls. There was always a bakery in Dorrigo run by the Reid family. As time progressed mechanisation became the way to go and the small baker could not compete. Sadly Keith and Dot moved to Sydney and lived at 64 Mitchell St, Fairfield where Keith had a successful bread run. Two more children were born - Christopher Gerard on 22Feb1961 and Megan Louise on 19Apr1964. For a short time in 1970 I lived in the next suburb and greatly appreciated the chance to visit family, especially on hot days because our Villawood flat was exceedingly hot. Although the walk pushing the stroller was arduous I was always driven home in the cool of the evening by Keith in his delivery van. I was always made so welcome. Keith eventually retired from the bread run and they moved to Qld to live at Worrongary near the Gold Coast.